Familiarity with backcountry features is always a treat; we all know how it feels to see things like Pocket Basin, Fairy Falls, or other favorites again and again. The time of day or time of year is different, and each time is like a new experience, with the changing light or vegetation, air temps, and just personal differences in our lives. Itís neat! So now just a few weeks later, I get to come into Glen Africa basin from the north side and greet it like a familiar favorite pal. What a cool feeling to be there again.

We checked out the thermal area, noting that the legs of the carcass that were so pungent on our last visit had been moved away from the rest of the carcass. Someone had been snacking. There were canid prints in the mud nearby.